TALKING

While contemplating the desire of God to be with us, it occurred to me that we were not only created in His image, we were given a gift of immeasurable honor:  the gift of speech.  Image, if you can, God walking through the Garden with a cow and discussing who He is and why the cow is a cow?  That would be a very lopsided conversation since cows can’t talk.  Cows are definitely curious and they will seek out other critters just to stare at them and hope to find out some juicy gossip, but they cannot gossip or talk about being cows or anything else because they cannot talk.  And, yes, God could read their mind, but did God give them words to even think with?  That is, a language like we use? Not likely.  So it is probably safe to say they we are the only creatures who use actual words as language the same as God uses language to communicate with us.  Other creatures use noises and body language, but we have been given words and speech.  How often do we stop and thank God for words and the ability to speak them?

Knowing some people cannot hear and have trouble speaking because of that, makes me stand in awe of Helen Keller even more.  She couldn’t see or hear, and it was years before she grasped any form of language.  When she did it was mostly about “things.” This is this and that is that.  Then some “ties” were made concerning using those things and her language prospered.  But how did ideas begin to form for her.  How did she become so literate that she could express things as complicated as philosophies?  (Just my wandering brain asking questions.) She has been quoted over and over again as to her thinking on many subjects.  Where did she develop these word skills.  How did she learn to think, let alone learn to express her thoughts?  Isn’t it amazing to know that even the ability to think is God given?  How often do we thank God for the ability to think?

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I know that His creatures can communicate with each other and can praise their creator, and they somehow know that He IS.  But they have a different type of intelligence given to them specifically to glorify God even in their very existence.  And they are wonderful to get to know.  But they cannot articulate what is on their minds and share it with others because they do not have words with which to speak. (Have you ever put “words” in an animals mind?  If you have and love animals, you have.)  God gave us words, even though it became necessary to split us up into different languages to keep us from plotting against His Holy plans.  He also gave us the ability to learn each others languages so that we would not be isolated from sharing Him with each other.  How often do we thank God that we can communicate with and translate for people who speak languages other than English and thereby share God’s Word and Love with them?

Imagine just how special and unique it is that God gave us these abilities so that we can walk with Him and talk with Him and sing praise to Him because “He walks with me, and talks with me and He tells me I am His own… and the Joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.”  How often do we “walk into the garden” to be with Him alone and listen and know that “He speaks, and the sound of His voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing.”  And how long do we “stay in the Garden with Him” listening to all He has to say and relishing it in our hearts?

Some people say that this song “In the Garden” is not scripturally correct.  I have no idea why, unless it speaks to them that someone else is more special than they are.  That is not the point of this song at all.  The point is that God desires to be with us and when we come to Him in the sanctity of our relationship with Him, He is always there to hear us and to speak with us.  And that is Joy, pure and simple.

Imagine that you are Eve, before the fall or imagine that you are Mary when Jesus appears to her, or better yet imagine that you are you and you are the one Jesus meets with every time that you seek Him.  That makes it pretty scriptural to me.  We are His heart’s desire and we are His treasure.  He is deeply invested in us and He will be there when we seek Him and He will commune with us on the spot. 

May we all seek Him new while “His mercies are new every morning”.  And may we all know that He is there where we are, when we are.  May we always be praising God that He seeks us, speaks with us and longs to bring us home one day.  Come Lord Jesus.